Assessment guide for path analysis

# Assessment guide for path analysis Step by step Two schools are moving together. Better rooms may come with longer journeys and the loss of familiar relationships. These six steps help you examine what needs attention before, during and after the change. ## Six steps ### Define the path and its boundary Begin with a question: under which conditions can learning continue well after the merger? Describe both schools, the affected groups and the period from preparation through the first years after the move. This reveals what a snapshot of opening day would miss. ### Describe what carries the path List the people, rooms, learning materials, experience, decision rules and cooperation that support school life. Mark dependencies such as bus services and funding. They show what this social path needs in order to continue. ### Apply the three basic questions For autonomy, ask who can shape the transition and respond to problems. For connectivity, ask which relationships begin, continue or become harder. For persistence, ask how knowledge and opportunities for learning are carried forward. Connect every answer with an observation. ### Look inside the profile Parents may formally have a voice but lack timely information or real influence. Their promised autonomy is then stronger than their practical autonomy. A relation can also help and harm at once: a longer journey may lead to better rooms and reduce time together after school. Record both effects instead of averaging them away. ### Follow the development over time Observe what changes before, during and after the move. Do children find their place? Is staff knowledge retained? Are problems noticed early? Also record whose experience is missing from your description. ### Name consequences and possible action Turn observations into options: different bus times, a transition period or binding participation. For each option, state who benefits, who carries a burden and who could act. The Path Impact Assessment continues with a closer examination of the intervention. The complete guide with examples from the case studies is available in the download section. [Go to downloads](undefined) ## From a profile to an impact assessment This guide describes a path and its development. The Path Impact Assessment (PIA) then examines the likely consequences of a planned action. [Open the PIA](undefined)